APT Chief Commercial Officer, Debra Fox, has called on the river cruise sector to be “disruptive,” after the outstanding success of an episode of reality TV show Travel Guides filmed aboard one of the company’s vessels earlier this year. Fox was one of the keynote presenters at last week’s Cruise...
APT Chief Commercial Officer, Debra Fox, has called on the river cruise sector to be “disruptive,” after the outstanding success of an episode of reality TV show Travel Guides filmed aboard one of the company’s vessels earlier this year.
Fox was one of the keynote presenters at last week’s Cruise Lines International Association River Cruise conference in Amsterdam (pictured), and told Cruise Weekly that too often the product is associated with an “older, retired group of people.
“We wanted to re-educate, and to do that we decided to be a little disruptive and take some risk,” Fox said.
The Travel Guides format involves sending a group of Aussies to experience a particular product, with no editorial control over what is filmed or aired.
Fox said despite the high stakes, the initiative had proven highly successful in reaching new target customer groups.
“We in the industry know that the river cruise experience is a proven travel style for all ages and demographics…the travel experience delivered the highest scores in the history of the show from the participants,” she said.
The outcome was exceptional.
“We were inundated over the following weeks with feedback from travel agents about new clients coming in their doors to talk about river cruising…how they hadn’t really considered it, and after watching the show thought it looked like a fantastic holiday option,” she said.
Fox also highlighted the rise of the so-called “Desire” customer segment, also known as NEOs (Next Economic Order) who are “less materialistic, more experiential” people willing to spend more on luxury holidays.
Identified by researchers Ross Honeywell and Roy Morgan, for these clients, choice and personalisation are critical.
“As a marketer or consultant, you need to focus on the personal experience, not the price or the deal – experience and authenticity is the value,” she said.
The Australian population of NEOs is about 25%, but they account for around 60% of discretionary spend, Fox added.
